Men's R2 TechFace Hoody vs Men's Salomon Outpeak Softshell Hooded Jacket: which is safer?

Patagonia Men's R2 TechFace Hoody is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Patagonia Men's R2 TechFace Hoody

Patagonia

Men's R2 TechFace Hoody

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

analysis pending

Verdict

pending

Hazard flags

none flagged

Material

Polyester shell with water-repellent coating treatment

Confidence

78%
Men's Salomon Outpeak Softshell Hooded Jacket

Salomon

Men's Salomon Outpeak Softshell Hooded Jacket

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Polyester/nylon blend with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating

Confidence

35%

PossibleFormaldehyde-based durable press or wrinkle-resistance resins

LikelyMicroplastic shedding from synthetic fibers

PossibleVOC off-gassing from adhesives or laminate layers

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Formaldehyde-based durable press or wrinkle-resistance resins, Microplastic shedding from synthetic fibers, VOC off-gassing from adhesives or laminate layers and DWR coating degradation and unknown residual chemistry on the Salomon and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is Polyester shell with DWR treatment where the Salomon is Polyester/nylon blend with DWR (durable water-repellent) coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Salomon grade, at 35% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More softshell jackets: see the full ranking